Amateur detectives bring Carlisle crook to justice

[A] PROLIFIC Carlisle criminal who handled two stolen vehicles has been jailed for three years.

Dean Michael Kerr, 28, was brought to justice by amateur detectives who used Facebook and solved one of his crimes.

Carlisle Crown Court heard how a Volkswagen Passat and a Range Rover were stolen from their owners’ homes in the city on separate dates during September.

Nothing linked Kerr to those thefts, but he had contact with both vehicles soon after they were pinched. His fingerprint was found on property recovered from the Passat. Kerr and the Range Rover were then photographed together by a conscientious member of the public who became aware of suspicious activity and uploaded the image to Facebook.

The vehicle owner saw the photo, Kerr was identified by site users and he went on to admits two counts of handling stolen goods.

Kerr, of Stonegarth, Carlisle, was jailed today (FRI) by Recorder Philip Grundy, who heard the criminal had more than 100 offences on his record.

Recorder Grundy said: “It goes to show how amateur sleuths and amateur detective work can be effective.”